Offensive lineman Ryan Bates is used to some uncertainty in the NFL.
Bates came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, and shortly thereafter was traded to the Buffalo Bills.
A 6-foot-4, 245-pounder, Likely led all tight ends in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 12 receiving touchdowns in 2021.
This year, Bates entered the offseason as a restricted free agent. While he was candid to Bills general manager Brandon Beane that he wanted to stay in Buffalo, Bates knew it wasn’t a foregone conclusion.
After Buffalo tendered a qualifying offer, Bates signed an offer sheet with the Bears. The Bills matched it a few days later.
“Well, the past two weeks have been a very long two weeks. I'm happy,” Bates said Tuesday. “I told Beane at the end of the season, I want to be a Bill and I want to stay in Buffalo. And thankfully, it came to the conclusion where I get to stay in Buffalo for the next four years, which is an unbelievable opportunity.”
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Beane said during a news conference at the league meetings that the team planned to match the offer sheet from Chicago, and the Bills made it official with Bates on Monday, signing him to a four-year deal. His stretch at the end of the season, once thrust into the starting lineup, along with his ability to play across the line, were reasons the Bills wanted to bring him back.
“Ryan's a versatile player,” Beane said in March. “He can actually play all five spots, but most importantly, he's been a center-guard. He's filled in, and we thought when he had his opportunity this year, he did a heck of a job starting the last four regular-season and then the two postseason games.”
Bates says he hasn’t heard yet where the Bills envision him playing this season. He’s not sure if the techniques or systems will be altered with some coaching changes. Bates said he hasn’t generally discussed football as much with the Bills at this point, though he’s excited to work with offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. Still, Bates has been able to set some personal goals.
“Expectation for myself is I want to have a master understanding of the offense as a whole,” Bates said. “Not only what my job is, but what formations are each play and learning what Josh (Allen)’s reads are, trying to get a master understanding of everything. And of course, refining my techniques along the way, that's important as offensive linemen.”
Bates is fine waiting on some of the finer details of how the Bills will use him now that he’s through the restricted free agency process. Once he expressed to Beane that he wanted to stay in Buffalo, Bates tried to not worry about the next steps, knowing he did not have full control.
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“I was kind of along for the ride, really,” he said. “You can’t really control what happens, being a restricted free agent. And so I was just trying to do the best thing for me and my family.”
Bates said he initially felt torn over what was “an unbelievable opportunity, life-changing money,” from Chicago. He was thankful when the Bills matched the offer.
“Three years is a long time, and in three years you really get to know people and create a bond, speaking not only of players but coaches,” Bates said. “I felt that bond, and I'm very fortunate to come back to the city of Buffalo and make those bonds stronger.”
